“Where for lunch?” Cam asked as he and Brooke took the elevator to the street.
“Good local food or fancy?”
“Local, definitely.”
Thirty minutes later they were seated at a restaurant located under the Coronado Bridge eating the best enchiladas Cam had ever tasted. He’d ordered three, plus rice and beans, and a Bohemia, telling himself he needed to run along the beach if he continued to eat this much. He watched as Brooke rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“I still have a headache from the accident. Nothing major, just annoying.” Brooke’s eyes moved to the door as a group of men walked in, all in suits except the last one who wore jeans and a leather jacket. Kade Taylor. “Oh no,” she moaned, causing Cam to look behind him.
“Ah, your favorite Fed.” Cam knew the man was doing his job, no matter how wrong the conclusions. “You ready to get out of here?”
“More than ready.” Brooke threw her purse over her shoulder and turned in time to lock eyes with Agent Taylor. “Darn,” she muttered when he broke ranks with his friends and walked toward her.
“Good afternoon, Miss Sinclair.”
“Hello, Agent Taylor.” She tried to move past him, but Kade cut off her retreat. “Excuse me, please.” She tried again, this time he stepped aside.
“Anytime you want to meet and talk, let me know.” He held out a business card.
Brooke looked over her shoulder at him. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, Miss Sinclair, I’m not.” He moved closer, still holding out the card. “Take it. You never know when you might need to talk with someone.”
She glanced at him then down at the card. “Fine, but don’t expect to ever hear from me.” Brooke grabbed it from his fingers and stuffed it into her purse, knowing she’d never use it. At least he backed off and rejoined his comrades.
Cam stood at the entry, watching the exchange and forcing himself not to interfere. He couldn’t hear what Taylor said, or Brooke’s response. Anyone watching would think they were two friends talking. He noticed Brooke take a card from Taylor’s hand, then walk toward the exit.
“What was that about?”
“Agent Taylor wanted to give me his business card, in case I ever want to speak with him,” she snorted, figuring the odds of ever needing to contact the arrogant federal agent were somewhere between zero and no chance.
Cam laughed, glad to see her beginning to relax. He hoped Gus would have good news for them tomorrow.
******
Kade stood next to his fellow agents and watched as Brooke slid into her SUV. She was a beauty. Not in the traditional sense of being considered stunning, more a girl-next-door attractiveness which drew people to her. He’d noticed it while watching her on campus interacting with other students and was certain she had no idea of how pretty she was or the effect she had on others. Her blond hair, blue eyes, and fit figure weren’t uncommon in this region of California. He knew she worked out a few days a week and ran or walked along the beach. He found himself thinking if she weren’t involved in this investigation, he’d like to pursue her in another way.
“Yo, Kade. You with us?”
He’d been so focused on Brooke he hadn’t even noticed when Marshal Ernesto “Nesto” Salgado came up beside him and followed his gaze outside.
“Ah, I see you’re checking out an item not on the lunch menu.” Nesto grinned. He’d known Kade since before high school. Somehow they’d graduated, enlisted in the Army, made it into Special Ops training, lived through it, and both had chosen law enforcement careers. They’d each earned degrees in criminal justice while in the military. Kade wanted the excitement of undercover work available in the DEA. Nesto opted for the U.S. Marshal Service. Along the way, both had experienced plenty of fun times with the fairer sex, avoiding commitment in favor of adventure and adrenaline pumping jobs.
“The woman’s a suspect, nothing more.” Kade tore his eyes from the parking lot.
“Yeah, buddy, roger that.” Nesto’s voice contained a hint of sarcasm, enough to let Kade know his friend didn’t believe it.
“How’d you get loose?” Kade asked as they joined a table with the other agents.
“I’m waiting for orders to transfer a prisoner from Colorado to California.” Nesto took a large bite of his burrito.
“Anyone I know?”
“Hell, I don’t even know who it is yet.”
Kade looked at his friend’s plate which overflowed with a burrito, two chili rellenos, three flautas, plus the obligatory rice and beans, and punched him on the arm.
“Slow down. You’ll end up looking like your uncle Diego if you aren’t careful.”
Both grinned, remembering the man who’d raised Nesto—all three hundred pounds of him.
“Salgado, I heard you might jump ship and join a real law enforcement team.” J.D. Montalban had come out of the Navy to join the DEA the same time Kade signed up. He, like Kade, worked undercover, although J.D. liked to consider his work a little more high class than Kade. Today he wore khakis and a polo shirt, typical attire for the assignments he worked.
“Sorry, Julius, but I get itchy just thinking about spending too much time south of our fluid border.” The last type of assignment Nesto wanted was working undercover, up close and personal with the drug cartel establishment, J.D.’s specialty. “Besides, I don’t speak the language, amigo.”
“The hell you don’t. You just don’t speak it with the same flare.”
Nesto grinned at his and Kade’s friend. The three hung out together whenever they had a chance, which wasn’t too often these days. Nesto started to send another barb in J.D.’s direction when his phone rang.
“Salgado,” he answered, then stood and walked outside to take the call. “When? Sure, I’ve got it. Be there in twenty.” He slid the phone back in his pocket as he walked back to the table and picked up his plate. “Business calls, gentlemen. Don’t play too hard without me.” He nodded at Kade and took off.
Kade watched him leave and wondered if maybe he should’ve made the same choice. With his education and service record, he could’ve gone DEA, Marshal Service, or any number of other state or federal agencies. He’d picked undercover work with the DEA for the adrenaline rush of working the streets and bringing in the worst of the drug traffickers. After several years working undercover though, he’d begun to tire of the lifestyle required for success. He’d promised himself to take a hard look at his job once this assignment ended and decide if a career adjustment might be in order. Kade would consider almost anything as long as a suit and tie weren’t involved.
******
Cam sat at Brooke’s dining room table, finishing his morning coffee and watching her pace back and forth, phone to her ear, talking to their mother. Annie Sinclair MacLaren had threatened for several days to fly out. So far they’d been successful in talking her out of it.
“Mom, really, I’m fine, and Cam is here. You’re still on the mend and there’s no reason to fly over here just to sit around with us. Besides, we expect to hear from Gus Barker today.” She listened a moment, glancing at her brother and knowing he agreed with her about Annie staying in Fire Mountain. “All right, I’ll tell him. Hugs to everyone. Love you, too.” She hung up and let out a sigh.
“How’s she doing?”
“Therapy is going well. Heath insists on taking her to the appointments with Dr. Newcastle.” Brooke and Cam locked gazes, then started to laugh. Their mother had dated Dr. Newcastle for a brief time before Heath came to his senses and asked her to marry him. Heath had wanted her to find a different orthopedist after her accident, but in the end, he’d backed off, acknowledging Newcastle was the best choice.
“Heath is busy, of course, as is Eric.” She walked to the table and sat opposite Cam. “Does Eric ever hear from Amber?”
Their younger brother worked as a director in the land acquisition and development division of the MacLaren Cattle Company.
Amber had been Eric’s high school and college sweetheart. The entire family thought they’d marry, until one of her professors had encouraged her to move to New York to pursue her dream of acting on stage. She’d pleaded with Eric to go with her. He’d been too stunned and angry to even consider her request. He’d told her to make a decision between him and New York. She’d asked Eric several times over the following two weeks to reconsider, to try and work out a compromise. When he held firm, she made her choice. New York.
“I guess she still sends him an email once in a while, asking him the usual stuff, how he is, how the family is doing. He sends back short replies, not encouraging her yet not slamming the door. Honestly, I have no idea how he feels about her.”
“I saw an ad in a magazine a few weeks ago and I’m certain Amber was the model.”
Cam looked up from his computer screen. “No kidding. What kind of ad?”
“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”
“Try me.”
“The ad featured her and an incredibly handsome man, holding the reins of two horses, and selling western wear.”
“You mean like the Sheldon’s Ranch Wear catalogue?”
“Exactly. You remember she grew up on a ranch in Colorado before her parents moved to California her freshman year. I have to say, she looked great.” Brooke strode to a table and rifled through a stack of magazines, found the one she wanted, and started to flip through it. “Here it is.” She showed it to Cam.
“Wow, she sure is a beauty. I wonder if Eric has seen this.” He glanced at the ad once more before handing the magazine back to Brooke.
She tore out the ad and handed it to Cam. “You take it. Maybe you can find a way to get it in front of him.”
Cam narrowed his eyes at her before a memory clicked. “That’s right. You and Amber were pretty close. We all liked her, but you two hung out sometimes.”
Brooke sat back down and rested her arms on the table. “I just wish Eric would’ve thought it through—talked with her about the options. She was crazy about him, you know.”
Cam began to reply when Brooke’s phone started to ring.
“This is Brooke.” She looked at Cam and mouthed ‘Gus’ then continued to listen. “That’s great news. Thanks so much for everything. Please send me a bill for what I owe you. All right, I’ll tell him.” Her beaming smile told Cam everything he needed to know.
“He had a good meeting with Flannigan?”
“Flannigan told Gus the investigation hadn’t stopped and I’m just one of many people they are interviewing regarding the Bujazan family. If they found anything tying me to the Bujazan operations, they’d obtain a warrant. Gus recommended Flannigan consider focusing his resources somewhere else, as pursuing me would be a colossal waste of time,” she smirked.
She could now resume her life, free from the constant surveillance by the handsome and completely annoying DEA agent.
“They searched your car and apartment, plus the desk you use at the university and found nothing. If they had, they’d already have a warrant. We both know there’s nothing to find, and nothing to substantiate filing charges, so that’s the end of it.” He stood and walked around the table, pulling her into a comforting hug. She sank into him, resting her cheek against his chest, just as she’d done the day their father had passed away from his long illness. This time, however, they could celebrate.
Brooke dropped her arms and stepped back. “My turn to treat you to dinner tonight. How about Italian?”
“Italian it is.”
******
“What do you mean I’m supposed to back off of tailing Miss Sinclair?” Kade sat forward in his chair and stared at Dennis Johnson.
“You heard me. Flannigan doesn’t believe there’s enough to continue focusing our resources on her. We thought there’d be something in her apartment or car, but we didn’t find anything to tie her to Paco. She has no record and is a stellar student in the doctoral program. Flannigan believes we have more viable options.”
“Well, hell.”
“However, he doesn’t have any say on how I run my department. In my mind, the investigation is ongoing. If we come up with anything implicating her, we’ll go for a warrant.”
Kade sat back and folded his arms across his broad chest. “Which means?”
“Watch her. Be subtle about it, don’t let her spot your tail.”
“How far do I take this?”
“Far enough until we can rule her out, but no more than a couple more weeks. I can’t stretch our resources beyond then.” Johnson glanced back down at the file. “You know, Kade, you may have to accept she isn’t involved and move on. Paco is still the main focus.”
“You already have Clive Nelson watching him.” Kade stepped into the hallway, then turned at the sound of Johnson’s voice.
“Just letting you know she might be as clean as her profile shows.”
Kade pushed open the door toward the parking lot, irritated at the change in direction and still one hundred percent convinced Brooke played some part in the Bujazan business. He swung onto his chopper and pulled into traffic, replaying the events of the last month. She’d seen Paco a couple dozen times, including twice a week at his home, yet they hadn’t found anything to tie her to Paco’s family. What was it he and his team were missing?
Half an hour later he pulled into Vivian’s driveway. She didn’t work tonight which gave him plenty of time to properly thank her for the ride a couple of nights before to pick up Brooke’s car. The one night stand he’d planned with Vivian had turned into two months. He knew the time had come to call it off, no use letting her believe more would come of it. The problem seemed to be comfort. She made no demands, always welcomed him, and never called between visits. The perfect set up, yet somehow it seemed like just another black hole he was trying to claw his way out of.
Chapter Three
Brooke gave Cam one more hug before he boarded the MacLaren plane for Fire Mountain.
“Thanks for being here.” Her voice cracked. Cam and their younger brother Eric had always been there for her, lending support, and providing advice. Now she had the support of her stepfamily also.
“Eric wanted to come out but I told him to wait. He’s in the middle of finishing up a preliminary review of a potential acquisition that’s been put off too long already.” Cam started up the steps and turned back. “Why don’t you come home, Brooke? You can work on your thesis presentation and spend time with the family. It might be good for you.”
Brooke had been thinking the same thing. She needed a break and the timing was perfect.
“You may be right. Let me talk to my faculty chair and I’ll call you.”
She stayed on the tarmac as the jet taxied down the runway, waited, then started its ascent. Her thesis had been completed weeks before, leaving her the task of preparing to defend it before her faculty chair and committee. Visiting Fire Mountain now wouldn’t hinder her progress in any way, and in fact, might give her the jolt she needed to reclaim her motivation.
Brooke shoved both hands into her pockets and walked through the gate toward the parking area. She’d speak with her faculty advisor, let her neighbors know she’d be gone, and pack. If all went well, she could arrive at the ranch within a few days.
******
Kade sat on his motorcycle, hidden between some parked cars, and watched Brooke climb into her SUV. She sat a couple of minutes before pulling onto the busy street which fronted the airport on one side and the bay on the other. He followed at a discreet distance, maneuvering his chopper around traffic to keep her in sight.
Paco had left the day after his last meeting with Brooke for a visit with his family, leaving a message on her voicemail canceling a date they had planned. The tech team had listened to it during the search of her apartment, noting Paco hadn’t given any information about his return.
A hunch began to form in Kade’s mind. An idea he and his colleagues hadn’t discussed before, but now seemed the most pla
usible explanation for Paco’s interest in Brooke. The agency knew he had a girlfriend in Mexico, one he saw during each of his visits home. Perhaps Paco’s interest in Miss Sinclair stemmed from a need to use her as a go-between with someone else. If so, then who? Brooke had few friends besides Paco and her trips consisted of errands to the store and the university. She had no social life from what they could tell.
An image of her popped into his head. She’d flashed Nesto and him a look of shock and pure defiance when they’d entered her hospital room, informing her she was a person of interest in an investigation. Even in pain, angry over the announcement, and tired from a sleepless night, Brooke Sinclair had to be one of the most attractive women Kade had ever seen. He’d felt drawn to her, as if some mystical magnetic force pulled them together. He’d been glad to deposit her at headquarters for questioning, although he’d struggled with a continuing need to check on her. She radiated a sense of strength and determination, while at the same time showing a vulnerability which tugged at him.
A horn blast from a side street drew his attention, and he let his thoughts of Brooke slide from his mind.
He followed her until she pulled into a spot outside the location of her advisor’s building. Another meeting. Well, he’d relax and wait, and think through how Bujazan Junior might be passing information between himself and someone else using Brooke as the unsuspecting courier. Even though drug trafficking was the Bujazans main business, the agency had long suspected the family of aiding terrorists who wanted to cross into the United States. And they had no reservations about using naïve, law-abiding citizens to further their cause.
******
Fire Mountain, Arizona
“Welcome back. “ Heath MacLaren, CEO of the MacLaren Cattle Company, walked around his desk and shook hands with his youngest stepson, Eric Sinclair. “Tell me about Montana.”
Eric had spent the last week in Crooked Tree, home of RTC Bucking Bulls, a thriving business Heath and his brother Jace had a strong interest in acquiring. The company raised some of the finest bucking stock for the rodeo circuit, made consistent profits, and had a clean reputation. The acquisition would fit well with their recent purchase of a bucking horse business in Colorado, where Cam served as president.
All Your Nights Page 3
